Re: [Harp-L] "Race, Gender & the Blues"

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On May 22, 2012, at 1:17 PM, Mick Zaklan wrote:

>   I'm not sure Sugar Blue or Billy Branch have a beef here, but I
> certainly could be wrong.

Sugar Blue and Billy Branch, while exceptional players, simply do not have the name recognition that some of the older blues masters had. 

>  I don't think there are enough African-American
> blues acts out there nowadays to populate all these fests.

Ex-ACTLY. Remember Motown? There were at least 12 top of the tree girl acts. Where did that go? Same goes for blues. 

>  At least in
> numbers.  I think if there were, they'd be hired.  When I started out in
> the late 60's, you had several dozen hot blues bands working in Chicago
> alone on the South and West Sides.  If you wanted great slide guitar, you
> could go out and catch J.B. Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor, and Johnny Littlejohn
> any night.  Harp?  James Cotton, Jr. Wells, Big Walter Horton, Billy Boy
> Arnold, Little Mac Simmons, and a bunch of others were active around town.
> Hot guitarists?  Otis Rush, Earl Hooker, Sammy Lawhorn, Buddy Guy, Fenton
> Robinson, Brewer Phillips, Louis Myers, etc.  Most of the giants of the
> music were around then and in good form:  Muddy, Wolf, Hooker, Ray Charles,
> Jimmy Witherspoon, Big Joe Williams, Lightnin' Hopkins etc.  I don't think
> we have people around today of that stature.

I agree. Even little Pittsburgh had scads of blues and jazz bands..AND the clubs for them to play in. People these days don't set aside income for fun and good times like they used to. They CAN't. Both parents have to work now and if they can save some jing, they can get a big screen T.V. 

>  Robert Cray, Keb Mo'?  Nice
> singers but not in the league of the people I named.  Here in Chicago, the
> taverns in African-American neighborhoods that used to employ and
> support these bands are mostly gone or on the ropes.  Hence, the number of
> blues acts are down.  But if Billy Branch or Sugar Blue are having trouble
> getting festival work, then something is definitely wrong.  And
> unless you're in Finland, there should never be a blues fest without an
> African-American act on the bill.  My opinion.

My opinion too. 
smo-joe